Airborne
Heading home today via Amsterdam... more later.

York, Walker and 30 pieces of silver

Today we took the train from Harrogate and spent the day walking around York, enjoying a nice sunny day in this picture postcard Northern English town. My focus was to try to see Cornelia Parker’s Thirty Pieces Of Silver, which had been re-installed (on loan from the Tate) at York St Mary’s medieval church.

And guess what?

The installation looks 1000% better in this medieval setting than in the Tate! In fact, the modern aspect of the flattened spoons, plates, musical instruments, etc. all really seem to make an "easier" leap to the famous biblical story when presented in this space full of a vast history of its own.

Heading back home tomorrow, via Amsterdam.

Ripley, North Yorkshire

Yesterday we took the number 36 bus from Harrogate to Ripley (Note to self: I had forgotten that in the UK, even if you're standing in the bus stop shelter waiting for the bus, they will just zoom on by unless you wave them down!) and not only discovered a lovely little village there with an exceptional art gallery, a historic fortified house (home of a gent who was knighted in the 1290s because he saved Edward III from the attack of a wild boar), an even more historic church, but also discovered that this village is the home of the world famous Ripley Ice Cream, which was without a doubt the yummiest and creamiest ice cream that I've ever had! And rumor has it that its secret formula is made from Soy milk!

That's Alida and Little Junes sitting on front of Ripley's Ice Cream (and also a really cool candy store).

In Ripley we chatted with Chris Braddon, owner of Chantry House Gallery, which was a pleasant discovery in this tiny village. I say "pleasant" because even though nearby Harrogate has several galleries, I must admit that I have not been too impressed with any of them.

I say this fully realizing that some of Harrogate's galleries cater to a very specific (and I'm about to generalize) English 19th century landscape type work that doesn't really ring my bell. On the other hand, it works for them, as some of these galleries have been around since the 1940s!

There are also at least two galleries which seem to be co-operatives, and those have the usual mix of very good artists with some less talented members. These co-ops seemed both to have quite a few sculptors, which is somewhat unusual in such numbers. Also different is a lot of animal sculpture (dogs, pigs, etc.) both in normal poses and also in whimsical, fantasy situations (dancing hares, etc.).

The rest are the sort of "galleries" that push a lot of signed reproductions on canvas and exhibit permanent displays of cutsey paintings of cows for the children's rooms alongside underwater nudes.

Chantry House also necessarily adapts to its environment, but some real talent stands aside in this space, such as the work of John Wheeler, whose initial training as a carpet designer have left profound and unique footprints on his visual fine art paintings and thus separate him immediately from the other hundreds of landscape painters in understandable love with one of the most beautiful regions in the world.

Peter Hicks is also a radical departure from other landscape artists in this lovely part of the planet.

His marriage of abstracted forms to deliver fleeting landscape descriptions is both different and refreshing. You can check out his gallery exhibit here.

Capps on MOCA DC

In the WCP, Kriston Capps reports on the woes of Georgetown's legendary "bad boy" gallery here.

Irvine Contemporary Moving from 14th Street

From Martin Irvine:

This summer marks the 10th anniversary of Irvine Contemporary and over 5 years at our 14th Street gallery location. As a result of unmanageable increases in rent in the current economy, Irvine Contemporary will be moving out of our 14th Street gallery space on August 30th. We have enjoyed a wonderful run of exhibitions, events, and achievements for our artists in this space, and we are fortunate to have the continued support of so many friends, collectors, artists, and colleagues in the Washington, DC community and beyond.

We want to conclude our time on 14th Street by celebrating our artists and recognizing the community that has been the life of the gallery at this location. Over the summer, we will present two exhibitions as a tribute to our artists. Artist Tribute Exhibition 1 will open on June 11, and Artist Tribute Exhibition 2 on July 23, and will include special events and talks with many of artists. We look forward to your continued patronage in supporting our artists in these final exhibitions on 14th Street, and invite you to join us in celebrating their great work and achievements.

While we are planning this move and transition, we are continuing to curate exhibitions and represent our artists through the fall of this year. We will soon announce the exciting exhibitions and events that we have planned in the fall.

Artist Tribute Exhibition 1
June 11 - July 16
Opening Reception, Saturday, June 11, 6-8PM

Old Peculier 5.6% ABV

Enjoying Theakston's Old Peculier at a pub in Harrogate, UK; this is one tasty brew!

I noticed Little Junes studying the juxtapositioning of the brew and his water. He looked at them, studied the angle of approach, studied me as I fiddled with the camera; a fraction of a second later he darted for the beer, but it takes a lot of skill to burglarize a beer from the Lenster, so I snatched it up a nanosecond ahead of him.

FCUK

French Connection United Kingdom - Seen at Boots drugstore in Harrogate, UK.

Is this brand sold in the US?